Before Knuckles
by NebulaBelt
Summary: LAST CHAPTER UP! I'M FINISHED! WOO-HOO!!! Please Read and Review!!!
1. A Chance Meeting

These characters are not mine. They belong to Archie Comics, there I said it. Read on!  
  
******  
  
MOBIUS, 3255  
  
Julie-Su smiled at the expression on her daughter's face. Lara-Su had spent the last five minutes gazing at ex-Prince Elias, who himself was in the middle of a discussion with Knuckles. Lara-Su sighed as only a teen who was head-over-heels for a guy could.  
  
"Lara? You're drooling." Julie-Su dryly stated. Lara-Su wrenched her gaze away from Elias for a moment to glare at her mother.   
  
"Well excuse me." She retorted.  
  
"Lara, he's twice your age, plus he's married!" Lara slumped her shoulders in defeat.  
  
"I know, but--oh come on mom, what would you have done if you had met a guy like him way back when?" Julie-Su gave a knowing smile as she answered.  
  
"As it happens, Lara I DID know Elias back before I met your father. And I must admit, he WAS kinda cute." Lara's jaw dropped.  
  
"You KNEW him?!" She asked incredulously. Julie-Su readjusted herself on the couch, for she knew that this was going to be a LONG story..............................................  
  
***  
  
MOBIUS, 3235  
  
"Of all the stupid assignments I've ever been on, this one has GOT to be one of the stupidest. What's the point in patrolling an empty island?" Julie-Su sighed to herself. "I guess I better just complete my mission and go home. Not like I have a choice here."   
  
It was true, she didn't have a choice. When she was given an order she had to obey. That's the way life worked in the Dark Legion. So when Kragok called her into his chamber and ordered her to fly recon on the Floating Island, she couldn't do anything except say "Yes, sir."   
  
So there she was. Her hoverbike sped over the terrain of the Floating Island as she looked for anything that might be of interest to her superiors. Thus far, she has seen nothing that could be of any interest to anyone. Julie-Su was about to turn back when her hoverbike shuddered in midair and dropped two meters.   
  
"What the-?" She checked her readouts; Everything was fine, according to the data. Then the bike dropped another meter and started zooming all over the place as Julie-Su held on for dear life. Gripping the controls firmly with one hand, she pried open the panel on the controls. Everything was shot to hell; The wiring was mixed up, fuses shorted out, and nothing was functioning properly. Yet all the readouts said everything was fine.   
  
Julie-Su realized, with growing horror, that this was no simple malfunction. It was sabotage; Someone wanted her to think everything was fine, even as her hoverbike began to careen downwards. She desperately tried to regain control, but found that the controls weren't responding. The bike lurched and pitched as it spun in a downwards spiral. Julie-Su managed to cling on, but she knew she would never survive a crash, nor would she survive if she jumped. She was doomed, and she knew it.   
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she managed to see a river down below. If she could manage to steer the hoverbike towards it---she might have a chance. Using all of her strength, she managed to direct the out of control bike towards the river, hoping she could slow it enough so she could jump off. Unfortunately, what little control she had left had just been lost. The bike plummeted towards the river as Julie-Su braced herself for the inevitable impact.   
  
"This is it." She thought to herself. "This is really it." She shut her eyes as the bike drew nearer to the river. She didn't expect to survive the impact. She felt her internal organs lurch as she hit the water with a resounding "SPLASH!" She somehow managed to disentangle herself from her bike, but was too weak to swim to the surface. She closed her eyes and felt unconsciousness prepare to overtake her as her lungs screamed for air.   
  
Even as she started to blackout she managed to feel vibrations in the water. She couldn't see what it was, even as it grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled her to the surface. As soon as her head was above water, she gulped in the fresh air, then immediately began coughing. Her rescuer, whoever it was, managed to pull her to shore. Julie-Su's lungs heaved as they tried to dispel the water from her system. Her rescuer placed a comforting hand on her and gently rubbed her back as she drew her breath. Her head was still swimming and she felt like she was about to pass out. She strained her head toward her rescuer for a better look.   
  
The sunlight obscured his face-for it was a he-and allowed Julie-Su to only see a silhouette. "Who....?" She managed to gasp between breaths. "Are you?" Just before her eyelids closed in unconsciousness, she managed to hear his response:  
  
"My name is Elias." With that, she passed out and welcomed her long overdue rest.  
  
*** 


	2. Recuperation and Reflection

***  
  
Julie-Su was interrupted by Lara-Su's abrupt outburst. "He saved you?! Prince Elias saved your life? Wow! What a way to meet such a hunk! Especially a brave, handsome, sweet......" She shut her eyes, grabbed a pillow and proceeded to squeeze it mercilessly as her mind detoured into fantasy.  
  
"Lara? Would you cool it?" Lara was brought out of her daydream and shot a mock scathing glance at her mother.  
  
"All right, all right, sor-ry. Go on mom, what happened then?"  
  
"Well...."  
  
***  
  
Elias stood over the unconscious echidna as she lay sprawled on the ground. He didn't expect to encounter one as he trekked about the Island. Elias had left the Royal Compound that morning, wanting to spend some time camping out in the wilderness. He had only been walking for a few hours before seeing a speeding object streak towards the river. Seeing the rider in obvious distress, he did the only thing he could do: He dove into the water to rescue her.  
  
Now that he had a better look, Elias could see that she was about his own age, give or take a year or two. She shivered in her sleep and started to curl up into a ball. Hypothermia, Elias realized; Grateful that the Brotherhood had taught him basic medicine. He needed to bring her back to his campsite to recover. Elias bent down and attempted to carry her back, with little success. Trying again, he barely managed to lift her off the ground. Placing her arm over his shoulder, he managed to half lift, half drag her to where he set up camp.  
  
When he arrived, he gently set her down near the campfire. He heard her groan softly in her sleep as he realized that she must have injured something, probably her ribs. Elias sat down, pondering out his options. She was a Dark Legionnaire, of that he was certain. No other echidnas he knew went around wearing black robes. Besides Spectre anyway. The Brotherhood had always bewared the Legion, for obvious reasons. Elias wasn't sure what to do with her, he never expected to run into a Legionnaire on his camping trip!  
  
At that moment, her eyes started to open as she began to stir. She moaned softly as she tried to sit up, gripping her side in pain.  
  
"Are you all right?" Elias asked. Grimacing, she nodded an affirmative. "Can you tell me your name?"  
  
Julie-Su hesitated, not sure whether or not to trust this stranger. Seeing as he could have easily let her drown, and given the fact that she was still weak, she decided to give him the benefit of a doubt.  
  
"Julie-Su. It's Julie-Su. Who are you?"  
  
"It's Elias. Remember?" Her brow furrowed as she remembered.  
  
"Right. Well Elias, thank you but I really have to be going..." She tried to get up again, but Elias pushed her back down.  
  
"Hold on a minute, you're not going anywhere. Not with your injuries anyway." She was going to protest, say that she was fine, when the pain flared up again. She groaned, half in pain, half in dread over what Kragok would do when he found out about this.  
  
Elias looked kind of sheepish as he cleared his throat. "Now, I'm going to have to bandage those ribs, but I'm can't exactly do it unless you-uh remove your robe.... " He blushed and trailed off. Julie-Su sat up like a bolt had struck her, big mistake.  
  
"I've GOT to stop doing that." She thought to herself. Out loud, she sighed and muttered, "Get on with it." Blushing furiously, Elias carefully removed her soaked clothing, leaving her in just her black halter top. He then applied bandages to her bruised ribs, trying not to aggravate them more. When he finished, he placed her clothes out to dry on a branch and draped her with a warm, thick blanket.  
  
"Done. You okay?" She nodded weakly.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." She paused for a moment, then bluntly demanded "Why did you help me?" Elias seemed taken aback by her suspicion.  
  
"You were in pain and needed help. What more reason could I need?" Now it was Julie-Su's turn to be taken aback. Only in her case, it was by his honest and sincere compassion. The Legion had always associated compassion with weakness, but if that were the case, then how would it explain Elias? He was clearly no weakling, nor was he a fool, as her instructors would have claimed. She was brought out of her musings by Elias offering her a hot steaming cup.  
  
"Tea?" Julie-Su nodded and slowly sipped the tea, just to make sure it wasn't drugged. Satisfied that it wasn't, she started drinking in earnest, trying to warm up after her icy plunge into the river.  
  
"Thank you." She said softly. She averted her eyes, not wanting to look in the clear blue eyes of her rescuer, she instead reflected on how to get back to the Legion. All her means of communication went down with her hoverbike, and she was in no mood to even try to retrieve it! On top of that.......there was something about Elias, a certain honesty and innocence that she had never seen in the Legion. It both fascinated and repelled her.  
  
On one hand, it was nice to meet someone who actually seemed to CARE if she lived or died. But on the other, it made her feel a kind of shame, since she knew Elias obviously lived a more honest life than that of a Dark Legionnaire. She felt ashamed to be around him.  
  
Elias, apparently unaware of her dilemma, suggested that she get some rest, seeing as night had already fallen. With that, they bade each other goodnight and dreamt of better lives than the ones they lived.  
  
*** 


	3. A Journey Begins

***  
  
Julie-Su paused while she had a drink of water. As she glanced towards her daughter, she saw that Lara-Su's mouth was agape. If her mouth dropped any lower it would be on the floor. Julie-Su had to hide her smile behind her glass. At least she wouldn't be interrupted for a while.  
  
***  
  
Try as he might, Elias simply couldn't get any sleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about the enigmatic echidna that lay just a few feet away. He couldn't for the life of him figure her out.  
  
From what the Guardians had told him of the Dark Legion, he would have expected her to be a cruel malicious terrorist. Sure, she was suspicious and a bit rough around the edges, but she certainly wasn't wicked or cruel. She seemed to be stubborn, and rather fiery tempered, but that in and of itself wasn't anything to be concerned about.  
  
He just sat there for what felt like hours, just watching her sleep. She twisted slightly as she slept, mumbling incoherently under her breath. Her face grimaced, either from pain or fear, or both. It was clear that she was having a nightmare of sorts. Elias wanted to reach out and comfort her, but decided against it. She was too independent a person to accept his comfort. As it was, she was accepting his help with great reluctance. After a few minutes, the nightmare seemed to end and her slumber grew more peaceful. By this point, the sun was just beginning to peek over the clouds in the eastern sky, and Elias knew that both of them would be famished, especially after yesterday's escapades. Using his meager food supplies, Elias started to make breakfast while Julie-Su slept.  
  
Julie-Su was pleased to wake up to the smells of a nice hot meal, a rarity in the Legion. Bland rations and food stuffs were all they usually received. She was still a bit wary of his generosity, but decided that anyone who could cook this well was definitely okay in her book. It wasn't until then that she realized just how hungry she was. "I guess nearly dying gives you an appetite." She thought to herself. Pancakes, syrup, toast, juice.....Everything she could want was there. It was like a feast!  
  
Elias looked on as Julie-Su tore into her breakfast as if it were the first food she'd seen in weeks. He smiled a bit as she started eating her fourth pancake in the last five minutes. Julie-Su, who had noticed Elias' expression, blushed, and gave an embarrassed laugh and grinned in spite of herself. Elias began laughing as well, and in a few minutes, both of them were hysterically laughing. After they calmed themselves down and finished breakfast, Elias went over to check her injuries.   
  
"You're healing just fine." He assured her. "You should be up and around in no time."  
  
"Thanks. Uh, if it isn't too much trouble...."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you think you could possibly return my clothes?"  
  
"Oh." Elias said, blushing. "O-of course. H-hold on." Elias got up and retrieved her dried robe, vest, and boots. After laying them on the ground, Julie-Su simply stared at him for a moment before speaking again.  
  
"Umm...A little privacy, please?" She smirked at the blush that erupted across Elias' cheeks, as he muttered a jittery apology and turned around while she got dressed. When he turned around, he saw that she donned her vest and boots, but decided against wearing her telltale black robe. "It's too hot for that stuffy thing anyway." She said by way of an answer.  
  
"Oh, okay." Elias said. Not the most brilliant of answers, but it was all he could think of. "So now what?" He asked.  
  
Julie-Su wasn't really sure. Even is she wanted to, she couldn't call the Legion at present. After yesterday, she wasn't so sure if she even WANTED to be found. The Island was much nicer than the gloomy Twilight Zone the Dark Legion had been banished to centuries before. Plus, she also liked the company here a whole lot better than she did back with the Legion. Kragok and his second in command, Kommissar, had always frightened her. She got the odd sense that they hated her, more so than they did the average Legionnaire. Julie-Su was brought out of her reverie by Elias offering her a cup of tea.  
  
"No thanks. I'm fine." She paused for a moment, unsure of her next move. For his part, Elias was just as unsure as Julie-Su over what he should do now. He thought of telling the Brotherhood about her, but dismissed that thought rather quickly.   
  
They would see her just as just a Dark Legionnaire, not as an individual. He also ruled out bringing her back to the Royal Compound. The Colonel may not be as paranoid as the Guardians, but he was still prone to being suspicious of people he didn't know. "Besides," Elias thought with a grin, "What would Nana say if you told her you spent last night with a girl?" Not wanting to entertain THAT notion any further, he just shook his head to clear it of any such thoughts.  
  
"So, is there anywhere you want to go?" Elias asked. Julie-Su, still unsure, shook her head.  
  
"Not really, but I'd like to get my bearings. So I'll just be going now. Thanks for your help, really." She got up and turned to walk away when Elias grabbed her arm.  
  
"Wait, I know this area pretty well. I'll come with you, just give me a minute." She shook her head in response.  
  
"No, I couldn't ask you to..."  
  
"Who says you are?" He smirked. "I've got no real plans for the next few days. Besides, you may need a hand if your ribs act up again." Knowing Elias was going to come along no matter what she said, she decided not to antagonize him.  
  
"All right then. Shall we go?"  
  
"Let's get going." He responded. They walked side by side for a few minutes in total silence until Julie-Su decided to speak up.  
  
"Thanks for coming..." She said.  
  
"Welcome." Elias responded cheerfully.  
  
"...And for the food..."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"...And for the help..."  
  
"Don't mention it."  
  
"Watch out for that tree."  
  
"My pleasure." Elias said without thinking. When he realized what she said, be quickly sidestepped to avoid walking into a tree. She laughed. She had a feeling that this little endeavor of theirs was going to come out all right..........  
  
*** 


	4. An Unlikely Encounter

***  
  
Lara-Su looked torn between either laughing out loud or fainting dead away. A warning glare from her mother convinced her to do neither. She just cleared her throat and sipped her tea.  
  
"Are you quite through?" Julie-Su asked, exasperated. Lara-Su just smiled. They were both stubborn, fiery females. They made a game out of their continued banter.  
  
"All right, go on."  
  
"Thank you so much." Julie-Su said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, we walked for what seemed like hours. It was hot, there was no breeze, and the humidity was awful. Elias said that it reminded him of......"  
  
***  
  
"An oven embedded in a volcano. That's what this is like." Elias continued. His brow was drenched with sweat and his collar wilted in the heat. "A hot steaming oven in a volcano stuck in the middle of Lava Reef..."  
  
"I got the idea Elias." Julie-Su cut in. Just listening made her feel even worse.   
  
She felt pretty awful too. Even without her black robe, she still felt like she was going to pass out from heat stroke. Her bionic parts, which gained heat faster than the rest of her, were hot to the touch and felt as though they were in danger of shorting out.  
  
She paused for a moment, sitting in the shade of a nearby tree. Elias soon joined her. "Elias. Please tell me that there is a river or a lake or SOMETHING nearby." She pleaded. "Preferably before I roast to death." Elias wiped his forehead.  
  
"Well, I-" He stopped as he heard a rustling in the leaves above. "Hold that thought, Julie-Su. We've got company." They strained their necks upward to see who or what was hiding in the leaves above, but could find nothing.  
  
"What is it?" Julie-Su asked.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I have a pretty good idea." He reached down and removed a small capsule from the yellow utility belt he wore under his blue jacket. He twisted a knob and tossed the capsule into the branches. It exploded, releasing a large amount of dust into the tree. As it settled, the dust revealed a figure hidden on a tree branch. "A chameleon," Elias said, "I thought as much."  
  
Its cover blown, the chameleon dropped to the ground and dusted himself off. Beneath the dust and soot, they could see he was a purple chameleon who was probably no older than Julie-Su.  
  
"Who are you?" Julie-Su demanded angrily. She hated it when people spied on her. The chameleon seemed a bit taken aback at the sight of the irate female.  
  
"Another echidna?" He said to himself. "Knuckles should know about this..." To Elias and Julie-Su he replied, "I'm Espio. Who are you? And what are you doing here?"  
  
"We're just passing by. Who we are is no business of yours." Julie-Su answered tartly. Espio wasn't satisfied with the answer and said as much. Elias tried to intervene, but Julie-Su was hot, tired, and in no mood to be given the third degree by a spying chameleon.  
  
"Listen lizard, if you have a problem with my answer, then you can just-"  
  
"Julie-Su!" Elias half admonishing, half surprised. "Calm down, there's no need for a confrontation-"  
  
"Get with the program Elias! I doubt he just stops people to show them off on their merry way. He wants something." Espio by this point HAD what he wanted, the identities of these two strangers. He saw no need to fight, and was not eager to get into a situation with two unknowns by himself.  
  
"Hold on a minute, I don't want a fight! Look, I'm suppose to help protect this island and everyone on it. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to cause any trouble, that's all!" Julie-Su seemed somewhat mollified and was simply too hot to start a fight now.  
  
Espio looked at the two weary travelers before speaking again. "Look, why don't I go find my friend Knuckles? I'm sure he could find you two a place to stay. Some food, maybe even a goodnight's rest. You two look like you need it." Espio turned around and started to walk away. Julie-Su frowned and turned to Elias.  
  
"Who's Knuckles?" Elias, who had lived with the Guardians in Haven until he was ten, knew who Knuckles was.  
  
"He's the Guardian of the Floating Island." Julie-Su's eyes widened in horror as she absorbed this. Before Elias could do or say anything, she launched herself at Espio's retreating form. Espio barely had time to register the attack before she knocked him into a tree with one well put punch.  
  
Espio moaned once and was out like a light. Julie-Su sank to her knees as the adrenaline rush faded. She looked over at the results of her handiwork, then lowered her head.  
  
Elias could only watch the scene unfold as he stood there, stunned. But only for a moment. He raced over to the fallen chameleon and checked his pulse: Good and strong. After a moment of inspection, he ascertained that he was only unconscious and may have suffered a slight concussion, but was otherwise fine.  
  
After making sure that Espio wasn't in any immediate danger, he rounded on Julie-Su to demand an explanation. He paused when he saw her whole body shudder, as if she were about to hyperventilate. Deciding that assigning blame could wait, he walked over to see if she was all right. He helped her to her feet as she unsteadily walked towards the unconscious Espio.  
  
After a minute, Elias decided to speak up. "Why?" Julie-Su turned to him, her face pale and her breathing shallow.  
  
"If, if he told the Guardian I was here, he would have killed me." She stated this with as much certainty as if she said that the sky was blue. Elias shook his head.  
  
"Ridiculous."  
  
"Really? We were warned about the Guardians, at the Legion I mean. They told us that they were savage, ruthless beings who wished to suppress all forms of technology and bring us back to the Dark Ages. Anyone who advocated the use of technology was abducted, tortured, and then killed. Captured Legionnaires were used as spare parts for their own high-tech base. That's why we exist, to save the people from those barbaric monsters."  
  
Elias could only shake his head in a mixture of amazement and pity. Having spent the first ten years of his life among the Guardians at Haven, he knew all about their many strengths and their many, many flaws.  
  
They were crotchety, disagreeable, antisocial, insensitive, arrogant, and hypocritical at times. While he lived with them, Elias couldn't stand their controlling nature, or their rigid inflexible rules. Most of them wouldn't even give Elias the time of day. Hawking, the eldest living Guardian, was a tremendous grouch who didn't seem that fond of children. Thunderhawk and his father Sojourner were never that nice either. Very set in their ways, and immediately suspicious of any kind of change, they never failed to ruin Elias' day.  
  
Athair, though he was hardly ever at Haven, always provoked a severe reaction from the others, Sabre in particular. As a child, Elias had always been a bit afraid of Athair. He carried himself in such a way that it seemed as though forces that could move heaven and earth were always with him. Though Elias couldn't recall him ever saying more than two words to him, he still could not suppress this feeling of awed fear.  
  
Even more frightening than Athair was the Guardian Spectre. His black fur and black robes gave him the impression that he was the Grim Reaper himself. Even scarier were the red eyes that GLARED out from beneath his silver helmet. Like Athair, Spectre rarely talked to Elias beyond a few words here and there, or perhaps a nod. But this was still enough to haunt the boy's dreams when he was young.  
  
Locke and his father Sabre, on the other hand were as equally inept at social situations as the rest of them, but they did actually spend time with Elias. Mostly it was just breakfast conversations, small talk, and occasional discussions during his lessons, but it was still more than the rest of the Brotherhood.  
  
But Tobor, he was the worst of the lot. Where the others were simply gruff or rude, Tobor was downright mean! Deliberately so! He would probably have encouraged Julie-Su's fears more than the rest of them put together.  
  
But even at their worst, Elias knew that the Guardians were essentially good people, if a bit antisocial. They were by no means barbaric or cruel. From all appearances, it seemed as though Julie-Su was the victim of indoctrination and propaganda. Elias told her as much.  
  
"Really. Do you happen to know this 'Knuckles,' Elias?" She sounded rather vexed at being told that she was being duped. But then again, who wouldn't be?  
  
"Well, do you?" She demanded again.  
  
"Well no, but-" Elias sighed. He had never actually met Knuckles, but knew his father, Locke. Often, when Locke was too absorbed in monitoring Knuckles, Elias would quietly slip into the room with him and watch Knuckles as well. Unlike the Guardians, Elias hated spying on someone without their knowledge or consent. On the other hand though, Elias was DESPERATE for some company closer to his own age. There was no one to play with or just hang around with at Haven. Elias wished he could have meet Knuckles when they were both growing up. In fact he once heard someone, maybe Locke or Spectre, suggest that they introduce Elias to Knuckles as a companion and friend. The idea was almost immediately shot down by most of the others and came to nothing, to Elias' considerable disappointment. Elias' musings were interrupted by Julie-Su's curt response.  
  
"Then I guess, you DON'T know. Do you?" Stung by her words, Elias didn't respond. He merely gestured to the still unconscious Espio.  
  
"Will he be all right?" Julie-Su nodded.  
  
"He'll be fine. The blow just left him unconscious for a while. They taught us that move at the Legion too. He won't remember a thing." Elias, still uncomfortable with the thought of leaving him there, propped Espio up against the tree trunk and tried to make sure he wouldn't be in any discomfort. Satisfied that he was as fine as could be expected, Elias walked back to Julie-Su and the two of them set off once again.  
  
A few hours later, a groggy Espio awoke groaning. He tried getting to his feet, but he felt so woozy and was swaying so much that he had to grab a branch just to keep him standing. "What happened?" He asked himself. But try as he might, Espio couldn't recall what had happened. He remembered that we was going to tell Knuckles something important, but he couldn't remember what. He assured himself that if it was important, he'd remember it soon enough. After resting for a moment, he started walking back towards where he lived. He would try to remember what he had to tell Knuckles, but would first go to his home in Rainbow Valley to get some much needed sleep. He needed it.  
  
"Then," he said to himself, "I'm going to find out what's going on here!"  
  
*** 


	5. A Swim and an Abduction

***  
  
Lara-Su looked aghast. "Is that what you really thought?" She asked quietly. "That daddy would've killed you?" Julie-Su sighed and looked down.  
  
"It's like Elias said: Indoctrination and propaganda. They drilled it into our heads that the Guardians were our enemies. I was alone, cut off from the Legion, and though I wouldn't have admitted it, terrified."  
  
"But mom, you weren't alone. Elias was there-"  
  
"I didn't really know Elias. We had only met the day before and wasn't entirely sure if I could trust him. I was pretty sure I could, but I still didn't want to take any chances. I didn't know Knuckles then either. Now that I do, all those fears seem silly and far fetched. But before I met him, I couldn't have known how wrong the Legion was."  
  
"Does Uncle Espio know that you knocked him out?" Lara asked, trying to change the topic. It worked, Julie-Su let out a laugh.  
  
"Yeah, I told him. Eventually. It didn't occur to me that Espio was the same chameleon who ran into me and Elias. It wasn't until a few weeks after I met the Chaotix that I realized it. But I didn't tell him then, considering they still didn't entirely trust me. Then, after I was more-or-less accepted, I confronted Espio and told him the truth."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"Well he wasn't exactly happy that I beat the tar out of him, but he was a lot more understanding than Vector. Espio just shrugged the whole thing off, Vector on the other hand..." Julie-Su shrugged. "I guess some guys are just more understanding than others. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, I remember. Elias and I were walking along when Elias asked...."  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Julie-Su?" Elias asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did I mention that it's hot?"  
  
"I think you might have at one point or another."  
  
"Okay, just checking. There should be a river or a creek somewhere around here."  
  
"How about a spring?"  
  
"That'd be nice too. Why do you ask?" She pointed to a clearing in front of them. Sure enough, there was a series of small pools and springs. "Oh, that's why." He added, more than a bit subdued.  
  
Without another word, the two of them sprinted towards the water, and proceeded to splash it on their faces with great relish.  
  
"Finally!" Julie-Su exclaimed. "I was about to pass out!"  
  
"Same here," Elias agreed. "What I wouldn't give for a nice, long swim. It'd feel great in this weather."  
  
"Then why don't you?" Elias looked flabbergasted.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Well you said you wanted to take a swim!"  
  
"Yes, but I...er...that is to say-"  
  
"Oh, come on! If you want to waste away, that's your business. As for me, I'M going to relax and cool off." Julie-Su kicked off her boots as Elias turned away, blushing profusely. He turned his back to her and clenched his eyes shut. He cautiously peeked over his shoulder after hearing a loud "SPLASH!" He turned around in time to see Julie-Su shaking the water from her head quills.  
  
"Now THAT was refreshing!" She exclaimed. "You sure you don't want to join in?"  
  
You have to understand that Mobians have rather unusual practices when it comes to clothing. Some Mobians wear clothes, some wear none and no one minds one way or the other, seeing as they have no concept as bodily shame. So there was nothing wrong with either male or female Mobians walking around au natural, as it were. Elias, however, had always worn clothing and for him it simply felt natural. He wasn't completely comfortable without them, and was more than a bit shy when Mobians that wore clothes decide to undress. But by this point, he decided he could make an exception.  
  
"OK, I'm coming. Just give me a minute." He scooped up her discarded clothes and placed them farther away from the water, just to keep them dry. With a deep breath he kicked off his own boots, undid the gold fasteners on his blue jacket, and threw it aside. Tentatively, he waded into the spring shivering slightly at the coolness of the water.  
  
"About time." Julie-Su observed. "This is living! No worries, no responsibilities," She smiled. "No Kragok," she added silently.  
  
"Yeah, this is great." Elias agreed. "I'm glad we found this place." Julie-Su adopted a wary look.  
  
"We? YOU got us lost, I found this place." She said matter of factly.  
  
"Is that right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh, yeah?"  
  
"Yeah." She splashed Elias playfully. He splashed her back. In a moment, a full-fledged splashing war began with both of them completely drenching each other. When they stopped a few minutes later, both of them broke out in peals of laughter as they saw each other's wet hair plastered to their faces.  
  
Julie-Su sighed in content. "I wish I could do this more often."  
  
"Then why don't you?" Elias asked. "Afraid your parts will rust?" He grinned. She laughed.  
  
"Nah, these things are rust-proof, and they're not going to short out either. I don't often do this because," Her voice lost most of its good cheer "We don't get much recreational time in the Dark Legion." Elias' cheerfulness also left him as he saw the mournful expression on her face.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" She planned on saying no, not wanting to unburden herself on anyone. So it was much to her own surprise when she said yes.  
  
"Life in the Legion is joyless, unrewarding, and completely sterile. Each day is much like the last, there is just routine, routine, and more routine. Wake up, shower, dress, work, eat, sleep. Not much by way of entertainment or any kind of fun." She paused for a moment, willing herself to continue.  
  
"But the worst part of it is the way ordinary soldiers are treated. To our superiors we're nothing more than drones at best. At worst, we're cannon fodder. Our lives don't matter, and they make no secret of their contempt." She shuddered. Elias moved closer, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
"It sounds horrible."  
  
"Even worse than my commanding officer is our leader. A cruel, neurotic megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur named Kragok. Him and his second-in-command, Kommissar, were always.....It was almost as if they were keeping me on a short leash so they could watch me. I could never figure out why they would have such an interest in me. In all honesty, I'd have forgone that particular honor if I could. The two of them make my life miserable!"  
  
"What I want, more than anything else, is just a normal life. Unfortunately for me, since there is no such thing as a normal life, my chances of living one are slim to nil. Just my luck, I guess."   
  
Elias could sympathize. While he enjoyed adventure as much as the next person, well actually, MORE than the next person, he still longed for a bit of normalcy in his life. After having barely survived an Overlander assassination attempt when he was infant and growing up with the Brotherhood, a NORMAL life would be a welcome change of pace! Unfortunately, as heir to the Kingdom of Acorn, he doubted that normalcy was in his future either. As much as he wanted adventure and excitement, he also wanted a family just as badly. But that didn't appear to likely either, did it?  
  
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Elias deftly decided that dunking her head in the water might cheer her up, or at the very least, get her mind off her problems. It worked, after a fashion. It succeeded in causing Julie-Su to shoot Elias a death glare and renew their previous water fight. After about ten or so minutes, the two of them called a truce and simply relaxed and enjoyed themselves. A while later, they both decided they should get out before they got any more waterlogged.  
  
After they dried themselves and got dressed, the set out once again. As they started walking, Elias turned to Julie-Su.  
  
"You okay?" She nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks Elias, I needed that."  
  
"Anytime. So, are we heading anywhere in particular?"  
  
"You know, I'm honestly not sure." She shrugged. "I guess anywhere that's not the Legion is all right with me."  
  
"I hear that." Elias agreed.  
  
"So did I." A third voice cut in. Then, to the surprise and horror of the two wanderers, a Dark Legionnaire, decked out in the traditional black robe, stood behind them, blaster drawn and aimed right at them. "Private Julie-Su. A pleasure to see you again."  
  
"Sergeant Rykor," Julie-Su growled, "The pleasure is all yours." Rykor smiled, a cruel, humorless smile.  
  
"Mine, and my troops." At a snap of his fingers, an entire squad of robed Dark Legionnaires stepped out from behind trees. Every one of them armed with blasters trained on Julie-Su and Elias. Rykor continued, "Lord Kragok was worried about you." He said without trace of irony. "He sent me here to find you and bring you back home. But I see you have company." He motioned towards Elias.  
  
"Leave him alone Rykor. It's me you want, just leave him alone." Elias started to object.  
  
"Julie-Su, I'm not going to-" But Rykor cut him off with a wave of his hand.  
  
"We're taking you BOTH back with us. Troops," he ordered. "Take them into custody. If they resist in any way..." Rykor grinned nastily. "Kill them."  
  
*** 


	6. Facing the Music

***  
  
"You were captured?" Lara-Su looked horrified. "By your own sergeant?" Julie-Su nodded in response.  
  
"Yes, Rykor. A nasty creep if ever there was one. He got the drop on us and neither of us had a weapon to use against him." She paused, considering her next words. "My heart fell into my boots at that point. I thought that was it. My short-lived freedom was gone and it was back to the Legion for either punishment, or death. It was not one of my better days."  
  
"I can only guess." Lara-Su responded. She smiled wickedly. "So, how was your swim?" Julie-Su glared at her.  
  
***  
  
Elias and Julie-Su were marched to a secluded spot in the forest. An even more secluded spot, that is. Rykor raised on odd device and pointed it at the empty air in front of him. After pushing a button, a small dark vortex opened up in front of them. Once they entered it, the vortex collapsed behind them. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to their surroundings. When they did, they did not like what they saw.  
  
Julie-Su recognized it immediately as the Dark Legion camp that was set up in the Twilight Zone. The sky was a dark hue, as if there was no sun to provide light. The landscape was barren, no plant or animal life existed anywhere in sight.  
  
Elias, who had never been to the Twilight Zone, spent his first few moments squinting, trying to adjust his eyes to this strange place. Unfortunately, the first thing he saw was an armed troupe of Dark Legionnaires heading straight towards them.  
  
They came to halt right in front of them. It was if they were waiting for something. Or someone.  
  
"Attention!" The head Legionnaire bawled. They assembled Legionnaires snapped to attention as two other figures approached them. Julie-Su's heart sank into her boots.  
  
"Oh, no." She could already hear her own eulogy being prepared. "Kragok. AND Kommissar." Sure enough, it was them. Kommissar hung back with the troops as Kragok approached her. Kragok's red artificial eye glared at Julie-Su, not even noticing Elias. Kragok scowled at her.  
  
"Explain yourself soldier." His voice was dripping with malice. Julie-Su, resolved to hold her own, began to answer back.  
  
"Sir, I began my reconnaissance of the Floating Island as per your orders and...."  
  
"Choose to betray the Legion?"  
  
"Sir? I don't know what you mean-"  
  
"What I mean, SOLDIER, is that I believe you deliberately crashed your vehicle in an attempt to fake your own death so you could betray your comrades."  
  
"Sir, I would never-"  
  
"Are you calling me a liar?!"  
  
"No, sir! But-"  
  
"Then you're calling me a fool?"  
  
"No, sir! I merely meant that-" She had no sooner begun, then Kragok began to cut her off again. He was trying to catch her off-guard, make her panic. Julie-Su could hold her own against him, but even she couldn't do it forever.  
  
Elias could plainly see the fear on her face as she realized that she was going to be executed, no matter what she said. "Don't you have anything better to do than trying to pump up your ego?" Elias taunted. Kragok's attention turned to Elias, who gulped in apprehension.  
  
"WHAT did you say?!" Kragok demanded. Elias, summoning up his courage answered him.  
  
"I asked why an arrogant, ugly, cowardly troll like yourself would bother harassing innocent people. If you want, I can use smaller words for you." He added. Kragok's eye flared in unmistakable anger. Before Elias could even blink, Kragok stuck him with his metal claw, knocking Elias to the ground.  
  
"Guards!" Kragok roared, "Take these two criminals to the stockade! And prepare the interrogation chamber!" He stormed off as Elias and Julie-Su were dragged away by armed troops. Neither one of them spoke as they were roughly "escorted" into a jail cell. They waited for the guards to leave before they spoke again.  
  
"Are you all right?" Julie-Su asked. Elias rubbed the side of his face where Kragok struck him. It was pretty bruised, but nothing serious.  
  
"I'm fine. Feeling a bit stupid, but otherwise fine. Sorry about getting you in this mess."  
  
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Thanks for the save back there. Sooner or later I would've said something that would have gotten us both killed. I Only wish I could've been the one to tell him off." Elias chuckled.  
  
"Maybe next time." He paused for a moment. "Now what do we do?" Julie-Su sighed.  
  
"I have no idea. Kragok isn't known for being merciful and I doubt he'd just let us go with a slap on the wrist. Considering you're and outsider, chances are he may want to..." She couldn't finish. "Elias, I-I'm so sorry. I should never have dragged you into this."  
  
"Didn't I just say the same thing?" He asked in an attempt at humor.  
  
"Elias please don't joke. Kragok's a monster. A savage, brutal monster. There's no telling what he may do! Don't antagonize him."  
  
"A bit late for that, don't you think?" Elias asked rhetorically. "I wonder what got jammed up his hard drive." He wondered. Julie-Su smiled at that.  
  
"There are several popular theories among the rank-and-file soldiers, though none of them have been confirmed yet."  
  
The good humor didn't last long. Within twenty minutes, it had lapsed back into a fearful silence. Every so often, one of them would try to initiate conversation, only to find that the other wasn't in a very talkative mood. They grew drowsy and both began to nod off. Both of them were soon asleep. However, unlike the previous night, this one gave neither comfort, nor hope.  
  
*** 


	7. Just When You Thought Things Couldn't Ge...

***  
  
Lara-Su looked on, her face reflecting what Julie-Su was feeling. Fear, hopelessness, terror. Her eyes widened with worry. Even though she knew both her mother and Elias would survive, the worry was evident on her face. Julie-Su couldn't blame her. There were still times when she woke up in a cold sweat over it. Pushing that aside, she continued with the story.  
  
***  
  
Elias and Julie-Su were roused from their sleep by the sound of boots pounding against the floor. They looked up just in time to see Kommissar come to a stop right in front of their cells.  
  
"About time." She snarled. "This isn't a hotel where you're waited on hand and foot, you know." She cut herself off with a wave of her arm. "But enough of this, I'm sure you're just DYING to know what we're going to do to you, don't you?" Her only response was two scathing glares. Kommissar frowned at first, annoyed that they didn't rise to the bait. But she soon remembered just what was in store for them.  
  
"Well, I would just hate to keep you in suspense any longer, so I'll tell you." She looked at Julie-Su with disgust. "You, traitor, will be severely punished for your treachery. I would only hope that your torturer decides to be generous enough not to, ahem, "have too much fun" with you.  
  
Elias, who didn't miss the implications of what she was saying, snarled at her. Kommissar only smiled. "You know, it is a pity Kragok didn't listen to me." She pouted. "You would have been great...company yourself." The look on her face left no doubt as to what kind of "company" she had in mind.  
  
"But unfortunately, he decided to publicly flog you, then have you killed. A waste really, you would have provided me great entertainment." She smiled wickedly. "But he is the Leader, and the Leader is to be obeyed and all that, so flogging it is."  
  
It was clear from the look on Elias' face that he would choose flogging over being Kommissar's "pleasure slave" any day. Unfortunately, before he could tell her EXACTLY what he thought of her and her sick little ideas, Kommissar left the prison; a noticeable spring in her step.  
  
Neither one of them spoke for several minutes. They were both stunned. Elias buried his face in his hands.  
  
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Julie-Su raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh? And the tyrannical megalomaniac in black has nothing to do with this?" Elias sighed.  
  
"Julie-Su...."  
  
"Come on, Elias. It's not your fault Kragok has it in for me."  
  
"Well I certainly didn't help the situation any."  
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you are WAY too hard on yourself?" Elias didn't answer; he just sighed once and looked down.  
  
Julie-Su shook her head. It was true what she said, Elias WAS too down hard on himself. She noticed that he was never that confident about himself; he was full of self-doubt and uncertainty. He could be morose at times, even downright melancholic. That's not to say that he was depressed however, but he could never realize his own worth and was virtually consumed by a feeling of inadequacy.  
  
She should know, she felt that way many times herself. But in her case, however, it was never quite as profound. She didn't think Elias was clinically ill or anything, but when he wasn't actively engaged in conversation, an activity, or some other distraction, it would simply wash over him like a wave.  
  
"Maybe that's why he likes adventure so much." She mused silently. "It gives him a distraction, or perhaps a chance to prove himself. Not to others, but to himself." Julie-Su was no psychiatrist, but she felt that what Elias needed was someone to talk to, to help him through it. Or, failing that, a good sharp kick in the rear. Whichever was more productive. Deciding to settle on the former for right now, Julie-Su spoke up.  
  
"Elias, I-" She was cut off as a Dark Legionnaire strode in, bearing a small tray of what could ALMOST be called food. Too hungry to care, Elias and Julie-Su dug in. It wasn't good, but it was edible so they really couldn't complain.  
  
Elias frowned. There was something about the food that didn't quite taste right. He felt his eyelids droop as a feeling of drowsiness overcame him. "Drugged!" He tried to stand up but collapsed almost instantly. He tried to warn Julie-Su, to get her away, when he found that she was in the same predicament. With his last remaining strength, he craned his head towards the Legionnaire outside the cell. The last thing he saw was a bright amber light emanating from somewhere under the hood. Then, his energy spent, he shut his eyes as he slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
The Dark Legionnaire, one Kartaga by name, stood over the fallen prisoners. Almost as an afterthought, he activated a communications panel on the wall.  
  
"Mission accomplished sir. Awaiting orders." A voice crackled back over the comm.  
  
"Bring the interloper and the traitor to me. I have....plans for them."  
  
"Yes, sir." After switching off the panel, Kartaga picked up the unconscious prisoners and carried them down the hall. He wasn't sure what his boss wanted with these two, but knew that these two sure wouldn't like it. Looking at the still unconscious Julie-Su, Kartaga idly wondered if his boss would let him have some fun once he was finished.....  
  
*** 


	8. Elias' Musings

***  
  
"They w-wouldn't have. They just wouldn't!....Would they?" Lara-Su asked fearfully. Julie-Su clearly saw the fear in her eyes.  
  
"They could, they would......they didn't, though." She paused as Lara-Su sighed in relief. "A good deal of them were depraved enough to do something like rape, but I was lucky." Lara could only nod as she squeezed her mother's hand. Julie-Su squeezed back as she prepared to continue.  
  
***  
  
Elias woke up with a splitting headache. He moaned as he sat up. After waiting for his vision to clear, he found that he was once again in a cell; but Julie-Su was gone. He whipped his head around at the sound of approaching footsteps, and instantly regretted it. An overwhelming headache washed over him, causing Elias to grip his head in pain. When he looked up again, he saw a Dark Legionnaire standing over him. He thought it was the same one as before, but couldn't be sure.  
  
"Good morning." The Legionnaire said with false cheer. "And how are you this fine morning?" He grinned beneath his hood. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to scream. I'll be right there." Chortling, the guard walked away.  
  
Elias spent the next twenty minutes vainly searching for some way out. With a grunt of frustration, he pounded his fist against the wall. He sat down again, holding his head in his hands. Despite the dire straits he was in, Elias' primary thoughts were of Julie-Su's safety.  
  
"If anything happens to her...I'll never forgive myself." It was strange, he thought, that he should care so much for someone he had met only the day before, yet it seemed as though they had known each other for years. He felt her absence more profoundly than he would ever have expected to.  
  
His mind raced with every possible thing that could have happened to Julie-Su, none of them pleasant. He ground his teeth in frustration, helpless to do anything. That angered him more than being held captive. Even his own torture and eventual execution seemed to be of secondary importance.  
  
Elias could not help feeling a bit, well...flustered, whenever she was around. She was, obviously, not one to be trifled with; she was assertive, independent, and a real fire-eater. But every so often, when she wasn't being the "the tough--damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead--kind of girl," she could be very sympathetic and even vulnerable, at times. Though he'd never say that to her face!  
  
He sighed. The situation seemed hopeless, no matter how one looked at it. He thought he could help her, protect her if need be. Instead, she was gone and he sat awaiting torture and then death. He failed. That was the one thought that continued to repeat itself in his mind; that he had failed her.  
  
Suddenly, from some corner of his mind, a great shout of anger exploded. What's more, Elias could have sworn it was Julie-Su herself!  
  
"What are you playing at?! Since when did whining ever help you, me, or anyone else?! So stop whining, get off your butt, and DO something!!!" Elias leaped to his feet as if he HAD been kicked in the backside. He looked around, as if trying to determine whether or not he had imagined that whole tirade.  
  
Then he realized that he HAD been about to give up; on himself, Julie-Su, and life in general. As he let the words sink into his head, his resolve renewed, and felt a fire within him that told him that he WAS going to escape, that he WAS going to save Julie-Su, and that he WAS going to succeed. Now that only left one question in his mind.  
  
"How exactly do I get out of here?"  
  
*** 


	9. A Plot Revealed

***  
  
Like Elias, Julie-Su also awoke with a painful migraine. Fortunately for her, it was short lived. Unlike Elias' predicament, she wasn't in a cell. She found, to her growing horror, that she was strapped into a metal chair, her wrists and ankles bound by metal bands.  
  
Julie-Su also found that the room was poorly lit; in fact, the only light she saw was directly above her. That probably meant she was about to be interrogated.  
  
"Not good." She thought to herself. "Definitely not good." Before she could even start thinking about escape, she was blinded by a bright beam of light shining right in her face.  
  
"Make yourself comfortable Julie-Su. You won't be going anywhere for quite sometime." Julie-Su blanched at the sound of that voice.  
  
"It can't be." She muttered, more to herself than to her captor.  
  
"Oh, but it can. It IS!" Her captor stepped into the light. He was, obviously, a Dark Legionnaire, though he chose not to wear the usual black robe. His face, a horrifying aggregation of flesh and metal (even by Legion standards), was twisted into a foul sneer of contempt. Every fiber of his being radiated hatred. Julie-Su felt sick to her stomach.  
  
"Zolraag." She said half in awe, half in dread. Zolraag nodded once in confirmation, then circled her like a buzzard circling a carcass.  
  
Julie-Su's mind spun with the implications. Zolraag was feared throughout the Legion, perhaps even more so than Kragok himself. Zolraag was an ambitious, ruthless, and intelligent commander of the Legion. Rumors suggested that he even attempted to depose Kragok as head of the Dark Legion. Zolraag was cruel, sadistically so, and would torture and beat his own troops for any reason; sometimes for no reason. He wanted the head job, he made no secret of it. In his drive for power there was no crime too horrible, no price too high, no threat too dangerous, to get in his way. Even Kragok feared moving against him, and instead tried to slowly isolate him from any true positions of power.  
  
If Zolraag was interrogating her, then it was without Kragok's knowledge or permission. That was treason in and of itself, though that had never stopped Zolraag in the past. But for what reason? Why would he gamble so much just to interrogate her?  
  
She had no time to think of answers before he grabbed her by her quills and tilted her face up towards him. "Now that I have your undivided attention," He said menacingly. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me precisely what you are doing in the company of that stranger."  
  
Julie-Su responded by spitting in Zolraag's face. Before she could even speak, Zolraag struck her face. "Impudent wretch! How could a little hussy like you survive my sabotage?!" Ignoring the insults, Julie-Su immediately realized what he just said.  
  
"You sabotaged my hoverbike?! I could've been killed! Why the hell would you do that?!"  
  
"I needed a distraction for Kragok. Then while he was too busy looking into your fate, I would take over the Dark Legion and reclaim our birthright!"  
  
"Why me?" Zolraag chuckled.  
  
"You little fool. You still have no idea just who you are. Or what you are. Ironic that you don't even know just how important you are. Well that's your problem, at any rate. I will say, however, that Kragok has vaunted stake in you, enough that he needs to keep you where he can watch you. But for now, you will serve my purposes."  
  
"And those would be what, exactly?" Her mind raced with questions, not the least among them was, "What does he mean, who I am? What does everyone else know that I don't?"  
  
Zolraag, taking full use of his captive audience, continued to narrate his plans. "Kragok is a fool; and a coward on top of it. Instead of confronting the Guardian head-on, he hides and cowers within this dimensional prison. Instead of conquering the planet, Kragok intends to slither and sneak his way to power. After I depose of him and Kommissar, I will free us from this zone, conquer the surface and then take the Floating Island back. If anyone gets in my way, they will be annihilated. Especially with all of those nuclear warheads I managed to salvage from our arsenal. The fool Kragok has no idea that I even have them...."  
  
Julie-Su looked thunderstruck. While there was no love lost between her and Kragok, she certainly didn't want a brute like Zolraag in charge. Ever since she was growing up, the Legion taught her about the righteousness of their mission: liberate the people from the Guardian imposed Dark Ages. They were supposed to help people, not annihilate them!  
  
Zolraag was pathologically evil, or at least pathologically insane. Either way, if he ever took control of the Legion, it would be a disaster for everyone! She struggled in her bonds, but was still unable to escape. Zolraag managed to stop ranting long enough to notice her futile attempts at escape.  
  
"As I said before, you aren't going anywhere. Now that you just had to go and survive the crash, I'm going to have to think of something else. Fortunately, I always have a contingency plan. Since Kragok isn't going to be distracted by you so long as your in prison, I'm going to have use someone else; namely your new friend."  
  
"If you lay one hand on Elias' head, I swear I will-" She snarled, but was cut off.  
  
"You will do nothing, especially if you don't want to cause him any 'unnecessary discomfort' hmmm?" She clenched her jaw and didn't answer. Satisfied that she wasn't going to interrupt him, Zolraag continued.  
  
"As I was saying, now that you had the indecency to survive and be brought back, Kragok can keep you under lock-and-key. That prevents me from doing what I have to do without gaining his attention. But your new friend, however-" He grinned. "If I were to kill Kragok outright, there would be hell to pay from his supporters. But if it can be arranged so that someone else takes the fall....Well, use your imagination."  
  
"You're going to set Elias up." She clarified. "Elias will be blamed for Kragok's assassination." Zolraag smiled and nodded. "They'll kill him." He nodded again.  
  
"And now that the both of you have conveniently 'vanished' Kragok will be so intent on finding you that he'll never see me coming. Then I'll be in command of the Legion! And our destiny!" He paused, reveling in his own madness. Then he turned back to Julie-Su. "But you, however, will not be there to see it!" A second figure approached Zolraag.  
  
"Ah Kartaga, so nice of you to drop in. I'm off to conquer the allegiance of our people. In the meantime though, have fun with this hussy." Zolraag walked out of the room. Kartaga turned to Julie-Su.  
  
"Oh don't you worry, I will."  
  
*** 


	10. As the Curtain Begins to Rise

***  
  
Kartaga smiled as he placed a hand on Julie-Su's leg. "Comfy? Good, I'd hate to put you in any.....'uncomfortable positions' if you catch my meaning."  
  
"Stuff it." Julie-Su snarled. Kartaga just smirked as his fingers traced up her leg, coming to a stop on her hip.  
  
"Oh come now, that's just mean." He dug his nails into her hips. "And really un-called for. Wouldn't you agree?" Julie-Su eye's narrowed as she shot daggers at Kartaga. She tilted her head back as far as she could, then with one swift motion; she rammed her head directly into Kartaga's face. He howled in pain as he grabbed his bleeding nose. He cursed so vehemently that even the likes of Kragok and Zolraag would have blushed.  
  
Julie-Su braced herself for another blow, then frowned in confusion when it didn't come. She saw Kartaga, nose still bleeding, furiously glaring at her.  
  
"Just for that, I'm going to make sure you suffer as you never have before. But first, I thought you might like it if I rough your friend up first. I'll tell him you said hello."  
  
He left as Julie-Su hurled insults and threats at his retreating form. Once he was gone, Julie-Su felt alone and crushed. She may have bought herself a reprieve, but at what cost to Elias?  
  
---  
  
Meanwhile, Elias was still in his cell; trying to find a way out. Suddenly, the cell door opened to reveal a fuming and enraged Kartaga. Before Elias could get to his feet, Kartaga slammed his fist into Elias stomach. He then followed up with a fierce, brutal assault, designed to cause as much pain as Kartaga possibly could.  
  
Elias, who was caught completely unaware, had trouble trying to avoid the attack or come up with a way to counter them. Fortunately, the blows were aimed to cause pain, not serious injury. Another point in his favor was Kartaga's blind fury. He was striking at random; no real plan or strategy beyond causing pain. Elias saw his opening when Kartaga made a fast lunge for him. Elias managed to grab Kartaga as he ran, and using his own momentum against him, managed to slam him into the wall. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.  
  
Elias paused just long enough to catch his breath before running out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. Looking about to see if anyone else was around, Elias started down the hallway, hoping to find Julie-Su and get out of here.  
  
---  
  
Julie-Su had managed to undo one of the latches that kept her legs immobile. She was still working on the ones that bound her wrists when she saw the door open again. The figure approached the still captive echidna. Expecting it to be Kartaga, Julie-Su lashed out with her free foot and delivered a swift kick to his thigh. As he dropped, she prepared to deliver another kick; this time to his head. She paused as she tried to get a better look at who it was.  
  
"Elias?" She lowered her foot as Elias stood back up and released Julie-Su from her bonds. After turning the lights up, Julie-Su turned around to get a look at Elias. She adopted a look of concern when she saw his wounds. He had a black eye and several cuts and bruises all over.  
  
"Are you all right Elias? You look terrible." Elias half-smiled in amusement.  
  
"Thanks Julie, I think you look cute too." She chuckled.  
  
"You definitely have a concussion. Come on, let's get out of here."  
  
---  
  
Kragok was beside himself in rage. "Where are they?! If they aren't found soon, it'll be YOUR head, Lien!" He bellowed at his sister, Lien-Da a.k.a. Kommissar.  
  
"Rest assured my lord, we will find them. The little rodents couldn't have gone far." She remain coy; completely unruffled.  
  
"They shouldn't have been able to go anywhere! How did they escape?!"  
  
"I am looking into it sir. The brat and her boyfriend will be back in prison soon enough. I only wish you would let me give the little twit what's coming to her."  
  
"We've been over this before. Moving against her and failing could cause her to put two and two together. Memories are fickle things; there's no telling what can trigger them, our mind-wipe not withstanding. I will not risk unlocking her memory. If she shows any sign that she is starting to remember things of her own accord-then by all means, destroy her. But not before. Is that clear?"  
  
It was clear that he would accept no answer other than a yes, so that's exactly what Kommissar said. But she vowed to herself that the day would come when she would destroy her hated half-sister.  
  
But vengeance would have to wait. "The troops await your speech, sir." Kragok growled. She knew he hated having to address soldiers he thought of as being useless. But if it ensured their loyalty, at least for the time being, then he'd endure it.  
  
"Let's get this over with." He grumbled. "And keep searching for Julie-Su and her companion. I want them found and I mean NOW!" With that, Kragok stormed out of his office with Kommissar right on his heels.  
  
---  
  
Zolraag waited patiently from his lookout point. He was in the perfect position to shoot Kragok as soon as he was one the platform he would address his troops from. All he had to do was wait for the right moment...  
  
Zolraag smiled as Kragok and Kommissar took their places on the raised platform. Kragok began droning on about the righteousness of their cause, his inspired leadership, and all that prat. "Not much longer now," Zolraag muttered. "Not long at all."  
  
*** 


	11. Climax

***  
  
Julie-Su and Elias raced down the hallways of the Legion complex. As soon as they were outside, Julie-Su immediately began scouring the area for Zolraag and Kragok. Elias looked at her with concern. He knew that she must know that the odds of finding Zolraag in time were slim to nil. She briefed him over what Zolraag had planned and why they had to stop him. Of course, neither one of them were particularly fond of Kragok either, but when compared to Zolraag, even Kragok seemed preferable.  
  
Elias looked particularly glum at the expression of revulsion that was evident on her face. He knew that the thought of helping her life-long tormentor Kragok was clearly repulsive to her, but it was unavoidable. He also saw that her hopes of escaping the Legion had all but gone up in smoke. Neither Kragok nor Zolraag would ever let her go of their own free will. Julie-Su knew that either way, she was condemned to live the Legion life for the rest of her days. Her depression was apparently contagious, for Elias felt just as rotten; possibly even worse, since he knew that one way or another, he wouldn't.  
  
Suddenly, Julie-Su spotted a glint of reflected light off of one of the lookout towers. The tower was situated so that it provided a perfect position for a sniper to lay down a field of fire that would cover the entire west side of the complex.  
  
"Including the platform." Julie-Su whispered. She turned to Elias. "Come on! Zolraag's up there!" She pointed up. "We have to get him before he shoots Kragok!" She didn't need to add that if Kragok died, both of them would soon follow suit; they were both thinking it anyway.  
  
"Let's go." Elias said. He prepared to run inside the tower when Julie-Su grabbed his arm.  
  
"Wait. You go protect Kragok. I'll stop Zolraag."  
  
"How exactly am I supposed to-"  
  
"Don't worry about that know. Just go!"  
  
"Right." Julie-Su ran up the stairwell inside the tower as Elias headed towards the assembled crowd. Each hoping that they'd get to their targets before Zolraag could fire.  
  
---  
  
Kragok was bored out of his mind as he read a speech he could have recited in his sleep; and all things considered, he probably had. Even as he continued speaking, he noticed a disturbance in the crowd. Someone seemed to be fighting his way through the crowd...but who?  
  
"No," Kragok's mind screamed. "It can't be!" But it was; Elias, free from his cell and heading straight for him! "Guards!" Kragok bellowed. "Stop him!" But before Kragok's goons could do anything, Elias leaped onto the platform where Kragok was speaking from. Kragok's mind reeled, thinking that Elias was going to kill him.  
  
As Kragok reached for his sidearm, Elias knocked him to the ground a split second before a laser blast shot past his head. Kragok's first thought was that one of his guards had fired and missed. Then he realized, belatedly, that he had just been saved from being assassinated. Raising his voice, Kragok bellowed for all to hear.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?!"  
  
---  
  
Zolraag swore as that damn interloper rescued Kragok. He adjusted his laser rifle to bear it on the sprawled form of Kragok; vowing not to be denied of his target. His finger had no sooner brushed the gun's trigger, than the rifle was jerked away; skewing his site. Zolraag tore his vision from his target to his attacker. His jaw slackened as he saw Julie-Su standing over him.  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. But I have a message to give you." She balled her hands up into fists. "Special delivery!" She lunged at him trying to grab the rifle away from him. But Zolraag would not give up so easily. They both grabbed the rifle, trying to pull it away from their foe. As they grappled, Zolraag's mind raced; he knew that Kragok would be rushing troops up here soon, he might not get another chance for this. He needed to distract Julie-Su long enough to kill Kragok.  
  
"A pity." He grunted through clenched teeth. When she did not rise to the bait, Zolraag continued. "You're helping to save the same being who destroyed your former life." He glanced to see if his words were having any impact; she didn't even flinch. "You still don't even know what they've done to you. That's too bad, especially since I'm the only one who could tell you. If you kill me, you'll never know until it's too late. Interested?"  
  
Julie-Su's expression betrayed nothing. "No. Now ask me if I care." She used all her strength to try to pull the weapon away, but he was just too strong. "But maybe," she thought, "I can use that to my advantage." Even as she loosing her grip, she managed to maneuver him closer to her target. Just as Zolraag was preparing for one last crushing blow to her skull, Julie-Su released her grip on the rifle. Zolraag stumbled back as he tried to regain his balance. It wasn't until the last minute that he realized that he was about to fall out the window! He flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance, but it was no use. His torso was all but out the window when Julie-Su grabbed him by his quills.  
  
She yanked him back into the tower, albeit painfully. She knew she was taking an awful risk, but she couldn't simply let him fall. Zolraag however, was having none of it. As soon as he regained his breath; he lashed out at Julie-Su, knocking her to the floor. He picked up his discarded rifle and pointed it straight at her head. Their eyes locked as he prepared to squeeze the trigger.  
  
"Good-bye, traitor!" He was so intent on his target that he never saw the door open, never saw Elias rushing towards him. He never even saw the punch that sent him reeling. Before Zolraag could regain his balance, Elias leapt at him and tried to rip the rifle away from him.  
  
Unfortunately for Elias, Zolraag's mechanically enhanced arms gave him a hideous edge in pure strength. Grasping the gun firmly in one hand, Zolraag squeezed off a shot that managed to graze Elias' arm. Elias fell back with a choked off cry of pain. Zolraag stepped back to the window and prepared his next shot; this time to finish them both off.  
  
The fierce smirk on his face was soon replaced by one of disbelief, then pain. Finally, his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the floor; a plasma burn covering his back. Julie-Su cautiously stood up and ran over to where Elias lay grasping his wounded arm. After making sure that he wasn't seriously injured, she made her way over to Zolraag. One look at the blast mark told her that Zolraag was dead. A sniper from below had managed to shoot him when he was near the window.  
  
She shivered. Anyone with aim that good could just have easily decided to shoot her or Elias. Putting that thought aside, she crawled over to Elias to see how badly he was hurt. Elias winced as she pried his hand away from the wound.  
  
"Hey doc? Do you know where I can find any cute nurses?" Elias joked, despite the fact that we was gritting his teeth in pain. Julie-Su smiled.  
  
"Cool it buster, you might rupture something; namely your ego." Elias chuckled, then groaned.  
  
"What I wouldn't give for nice, comfy bed right about now."  
  
"I'm afraid that will have to wait." A voice said gruffly. Elias and Julie-Su saw Rykor along with several other Legionnaires. "Lord Kragok wants you both and he just hates to be kept waiting." He grinned savagely.  
  
Elias and Julie-Su looked at each other, fear and worry clearly etched on their faces. All that fighting and hardship, all for nothing.......  
  
*** 


	12. Finale

***  
  
Kragok nodded to the officer that had managed to shoot Zolraag; an impressive feat, given the distance from the platform to the tower. Kragok studied the officer, Xenin, and decided that he would prove to be invaluable to him. But he first had other business to attend to. Kragok frowned as his two prisoners were brought before him; Julie-Su, his worthless half-sister, and the boy whom was finally identified as being none other than Prince Elias Acorn, heir to the throne of the Acorn Kingdom. If there still was an Acorn Kingdom left to rule, that is. He at least, would be a valuable hostage, or so his spy had claimed. Moritori Rex had spent the last few decades impersonating the Guardian Tobor, his information was invaluable, as was his data on Elias. Julie-Su on the other hand...  
  
He frowned. Best to eliminate her now and be done with it. "It would appear as though Zolraag's treachery has failed. He paid the price for his ambition. But as for you two -You would best get accustomed to your 'accommodations' here because you'll be here for a long time." Julie-Su stepped forward.  
  
"Sir, we -Elias and I- fought to save you from Zolraag's madness. I would ask for nothing more than Elias' safe return to his home on the Floating Island. He has done no wrong to you sir, and without his aid YOU sir, would most likely be dead."  
  
Kragok's artificial eye flared in anger. "I suggest you hold your tongue soldier, before I have it removed. I will decide this outsider's fate, NOT you, or anyone else! Is that clear soldier?!" If he intimidated her, then she was good at not showing it. She set her jaw and folded her arms across her chest.  
  
"Crystal clear, SIR. I simply wish to point out that Elias provided a great service to the Dark Legion; he shouldn't be punished for that." To Kragok's dismay, he saw more than a few Legionnaires bob their heads in agreement. They all saw Elias save his life; killing him now would signify that he didn't care about anyone's life other than his own (which of course was true). Imprisoning Elias would suggest that he would arrest anyone who made Kragok look bad by saving his life; not a good notion. Elias chose that moment to speak up.  
  
"Before you even THINK about laying a hand on Julie-Su, consider this; how loyal will your troops be to a leader who summarily executes his soldiers after they save his life? Not very I'd imagine."  
  
Kragok glared at Julie-Su, and she glared right back. They both knew he couldn't raise a hand against either of them without provoking the ire of the Legion. Barely repressing his rage, Kragok spoke up.  
  
"After due consideration of recent events, I decree that the interloper Elias will be allowed to return to the Floating Island, unharmed." Kragok was angry, but calmed down by reminding himself that when the Legion invades the Floating Island, he could simply capture him again. It wouldn't be too long now....  
  
"Uh- my Lord?" Kragok glared at Julie-Su once again.  
  
"YES?" He snarled at her.  
  
"With your permission sir, I'd like to escort the prisoner, that is, bring Elias back home. Personally?" Kragok took every ounce of patience he had not to have her killed.  
  
"FINE. Just have him out of my camp before I change my mind!" With that, Kragok turned away from her and stormed back to his chamber with Kommissar close on his heels. Julie-Su turned to Elias and led him away.  
  
"Come on, let's go."  
  
***  
  
Julie-Su blinked to clear her eyes after the vortex closed. She was back on the Floating Island, along with Elias and Xenin, who was there to make sure she didn't try anything. Xenin hung back as Julie-Su walked Elias to the edge of the jungle where they had meet; it seemed as if it was long ago, though it was really just a few days. Confident that they could speak privately, Julie-Su faced Elias.  
  
"I guess this is good-bye then."  
  
"It doesn't have to be, you know. Why don't you leave the Legion? I can't imagine that Kragok will just forget this ever happened."  
  
"I know. But I can't leave; the Legion is the only life I know. It's too late for me to change."  
  
"Somehow, I doubt that." He grinned. Julie-Su did too. Elias paused, then almost as an afterthought, removed the yellow belt he wore beneath his jacket and presented it to her. "Here, maybe you could find a way to use this better than I did." She shook her head.  
  
"No, I couldn't-"  
  
"Please, consider it a gift." He pushed it into her hands. Seeing that he wasn't going to be swayed, she accepted the belt and fastened it around her waist.  
  
"So what do you think?" She asked, turning around like she was modeling it.  
  
"I'd say it makes the whole outfit come together." Elias commented jokingly. They both laughed. As the laughter died Julie-Su found, to her surprise and sorrow, that a tear was forming in her eyes; blurring her vision. 'Damn it girl, you are not going to cry. You are not going to cry. You are not going to-' Too late. A tear was already trickling down her cheek.  
  
Elias carefully brushed the tear away with his hand. He gave a sad smile as tears started running down his face as well. With a choked sob, Julie-Su flung her arms around Elias in a crushing embrace as she openly sobbed into his shoulder. They just stood there; embracing each other, holding each other and crying for what seemed like hours. Finally as the sun began to set in the distance, the two broke their embrace.  
  
After they separated, they wiped their eyes of tears and gave each other an appraising look. Julie-Su managed to find her voice first.  
  
"I guess this is good-bye then." She paused for a moment; then continued. "I'll never forget -that is to say- I'll always remember you Elias."  
  
"I won't be forgetting you either Julie-Su." Now it was his turn to pause. "Julie, I- I mean, well I-" Julie-Su put her hands over his mouth.  
  
"I know, I feel the same way." She smiled; he did too. They embraced each other once more. As they pulled apart, Julie-Su kissed Elias on the cheek and smiled at his blush. She turned and started to head back to Xenin; after two steps she stopped and decided 'Oh what the hell.' She ran back to Elias, planting a fierce kiss on his mouth before he could even speak. It lasted a good half a minute in which time seemed to halt. When Julie-Su broke off the kiss, she started to back up before turning away.  
  
Elias started after her, but she just shook her head. She had enough of good-byes. Elias apparently read that in her eyes and yielded. The last glimpse she had of Elias was one full of sadness and loss.  
  
As soon as she approached Xenin, he simply activated the portal to take them back to the Dark Legion. He said nothing to her, and acted as if nothing had happened; for which Julie-Su was immensely grateful. As the portal crackled open, she felt as though she was walking into a jail cell; which wasn't too far off from the truth. One part of her mind grew irritated with her sadness and seemed to say 'Get over it girl. It's not like you're going on vacation. You will never see Elias again, so get used to it.' Yet at the same time, another part of her said 'Don't bet on it.'  
  
***  
  
Lara-Su's choked back a tear as her mother's story finished. "Mom, that's so-so..." She couldn't think of a way to finish that thought verbally. Yet Julie-Su understood it anyway. Even after Lara-Su wiped her tears away, she still looked very sad. "I guess-that was...the end?" She hesitantly asked. Julie-Su did not answer right away. She picked up her glass of water and had a drink.  
  
"The end?" She shook her head. "No, that was the last time I saw of Elias for quite some time. But we did meet up again, shortly after he returned to the newly liberated Mobotropolis. We had quite an...interesting reunion; we reminisced, we talked, and we shared laughs. The end you say? Not by a long shot."  
  
***  
  
-THE FLOATING ISLAND, MOBIUS. SOMETIME AFTER THE EVENTS IN SONIC #70  
  
  
  
A cool breeze was in the air as the Freedom Fighter Special prepared to land on the Floating Island. Knuckles and the Chaotix were waiting for them on the ground. Everyone was there; Knuckles, Julie-Su, Espio, Mighty, Vector, Ray, even Charmy had managed to get away from his royal duties and come. He even brought Safron along as well. The Knothole Freedom Fighters had come to the Floating Island to relax and celebrate, for they had much to celebrate and little time to do it; the downfall of Robotnik, the defeat of Ixis Naugus, the King's restoration, the return of Prince Elias and Queen Alicia, and the Devil's Island Gulag escape had happened in such quick succession that the Freedom Fighters simply haven't had the time to sit back and take a break. And when it comes to getting away from it all, you can't get much further away than an island suspended in midair.  
  
It was with that thought in mind that the Freedom Fighters decided to have a picnic on the Floating Island with the Chaotix. The Chaotix had already had everything set up by the time the Freedom Fighters arrived. They found a nice secluded spot on the other side of the island; far from the hustle and bustle of Echidnaopolis. They had set up tables, blankets, and food from the city; they were all set.  
  
As the Special landed, Knuckles, Julie-Su, and the rest of the Chaotix made their way over to the ship. Julie-Su looked the ship over as the Freedom Fighters disembarked. When she turned to look again, the Freedom Fighters had left the ship and were heading towards the Chaotix. She absently took note of everyone there. There was Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, Tails, Antoine, Rotor, Dulcy, and--  
  
Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock. 'It can't be. There's no way-' But it was. Standing right behind Sally was none other than Elias. His jaw dropped as his eyes made contact with hers. She stepped out from behind the rest of the Chaotix and made her way over to him. Elias walked up to her and they met in between the two groups. Ignoring the odd whispers and glances from their comrades, the two stood staring at each other for a moment; as if they had both seen a ghost.  
  
Julie-Su, as usual, seized the initiative and tentatively said his name.  
  
"Elias?" Elias nodded and answered in kind.  
  
"Julie-Su?" The two embraced each other as though they had not seen each other in a century. When their embrace ended, everyone was stunned into silence, Freedom Fighter and Chaotix alike. They stayed that way until Julie-Su cleared her throat, none too discreetly. Sally was the first one to regain her voice.  
  
"Elias? You know her?" Elias turned to Sally and nodded.  
  
"We've met." He said succinctly. Sally then turned her attention to Julie-Su.  
  
"You never mentioned that you knew my brother." It was Julie-Su's turn to look shocked. She turned to address Elias.  
  
"What? You're Sally's brother?!" He nodded. "Then, doesn't that make you--"  
  
"Crown Prince? Yeah, I guess it does." He added with more than a little distaste. Knuckles chose that moment to intercede. He turned to Julie-Su.  
  
"How did you know the Prince? I just found out about him not too long ago."  
  
"We kind of ran into each other. Before the Legion invaded, that is."  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"  
  
"It's not like I knew he was a prince. When I arrived here I didn't even know he was still living on the Floating Island."  
  
"This is kind of unexpected." Elias noted. Julie-Su sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Your gift for the understatement hasn't diminished any." She turned to the still shell-shocked onlookers. "Did you guys come here to imitate a bunch of statues in a park? Or did you come to have a good time?" Having recovered their wits, they decided not to make this reunion into a spectacle and headed over to the picnic tables to grab a bite. After a minute, Sally and Knuckles joined them; followed soon by Julie-Su and Elias.  
  
For the next hour or two, the two groups mingled well; they ate, relaxed, and talked about past experiences, battles, and victories. After most of the others were either dozing off or too busy talking, Elias and Julie-Su made their way out of the meadow and into the woods. They stopped and sat down on a log after a few minutes of walking. Both of them fidgeted and were waiting for the other to speak first.  
  
"Elias, I-" Julie-Su began.  
  
"Julie-Su, I-" Elias said at the same time. They both stopped. Elias decided to start the conversation this time.  
  
"How have you been?"  
  
"I've been all right."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"And you, Elias?"  
  
"Same here."  
  
"Good." Silence fell again. Julie-Su sighed before speaking again. "Elias? Are you upset that me and Knuckles--" He shook his head.  
  
"Nah. I'm glad you're happy." He paused. "You ARE happy aren't you?" She chuckled at his failed attempt at humor.  
  
"Yes, I'm happy. For the very first time, I think I'm actually happy. I have a home, a family, great friends," she squeezed his hand "You, and Knuckles. You were right about the Guardians you know."  
  
"So I gathered." She smiled.  
  
"How did you know? Knuckles said he didn't know you until a short time ago."  
  
"He didn't. But I was actually raised in a place called Haven by the Brotherhood of Guardians, Knuckles' ancestors. That's how I knew about Knuckles. I lived there until I was ten."  
  
"That DOES explain a few things." She agreed. She didn't speak for a minute. "You were right about the Legion too; and about me. I just wished I had left them sooner. Would've saved me a LOT of trouble."  
  
"Don't beat yourself up over it. Trust me, it doesn't help any."  
  
"Sounds like the voice of experience talking."  
  
"It is."  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. He nodded. "Now let me guess, this has to do with you being the heir to the throne, doesn't it?"  
  
"How'd you guess?" She shrugged.  
  
"I know you. Sitting in a chair, looking all big and important doesn't exactly fit the description of the 'dashing young hero' who rescued me from the clutches of Zolraag."  
  
"I think you've got that backwards, you've saved me more than the other way around, but you're right. I don't want the throne."  
  
"I can imagine."  
  
"I can't even talk to anyone about it. Few people know what it's like to be royalty." Putting as much contempt into that last word as possible. Julie-Su put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I may not know what that's like, but I know someone who does." Elias looked at her. "Your sister, Sally. There is no one who's better at listening and dealing with these kinds of things as her."  
  
"I don't know. We don't even know each other. We've rarely talked since my return...I can't see her trusting me."  
  
"Elias, first off: stop being so hard on yourself. You're your own worst enemy. Second: There is no being alive who is a better judge of character as Sally. When I first met her, she knew things about me that I didn't even know. She treated me as a friend straight off the bat, she had never even met me before. If she can do that for me, there is no reason why she can't do it for her own brother." Elias seemed to consider this for a while, then nodded.  
  
"I guess you're right. It can't hurt to try, at any rate."  
  
"That's the spirit." Elias still looked glum. Julie-Su looked around, trying to think of a way to cheer him up. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted some hot springs, not unlike the ones they had found when they first met.  
  
"Say, Elias; you wouldn't be up for a swim, now would you?" She grinned. Elias smiled back.  
  
"You know Julie-Su, I just might."  
  
***  
  
"So you impersonated a soldier and tricked that St. John buffoon?" Julie-Su asked, smiling. Elias nodded.  
  
"You should have seen the look on his face..." They both laughed. They were both heading back to the meadow; refreshed and relaxed. Both of them were in high spirits as they walked back, swapping stories. "Even Sonic was amazed."  
  
"I can well imagine." She chuckled. "It's been really great seeing you again."  
  
"Likewise."  
  
"Elias, um-forgive me if I'm prying but, is there any girl back home you would happen to have an eye for?" She teased. Elias chuckled nervously and tried to hide a blush.  
  
"Uh, yes well-there IS this one girl I've seen around the city...Her name's Mina. She's a yellow mongoose. We've chatted once or twice, and I-" Julie-Su smiled.  
  
"Ah, young love." Elias glared at her.  
  
"Yuck it up, Julie."  
  
"Thanks, but I thought I was."  
  
"Wise girl. You haven't changed a bit." He paused. "If you don't mind Julie, there's something I wanted to give you."  
  
"Oh? And that would be?" She asked.  
  
"This." In one of the most impulsive acts of his life, Elias embraced Julie-Su and kissed her, right on the mouth. The same way she did when they parted ways last time. Julie-Su looked a bit dazed when Elias released her.  
  
"I just thought I'd return the favor." He smiled. She did too.  
  
"Did you ask Knuckles before you did that?"  
  
"Is there a reason why I should have?"  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny smart guy. Come on, let's head back before they notice we've been missing. I really don't want to have to separate Knuckles' fist from your head."  
  
"You know what Julie-Su? I wouldn't want to either. Let's go." The two walked back, hand in hand, like the truest of friends should.  
  
***  
  
Lara-Su's eyes looked like shining moons when Julie-Su finished her story. Lara sighed. "That was some story, Mom."  
  
"It was some adventure, Lara. After that day we wrote to each other almost everyday for the next ten years. We would tell each other anything and everything about ourselves. I still have all the letters he wrote to me up in my room. My friendship with Elias is one of the things I treasure most. The others are your father," She smiled, "And YOU." She said as she hugged her daughter.  
  
"That's really sweet Mom. But can I ask you something? In all honesty?" Julie-Su nodded. "Did you ever-um, think about Elias? SERIOUSLY, think about him, that is." Julie-Su smiled.  
  
"Lara, believe me there is no one I'd rather be with than your father. I love Elias, but it isn't quite the same kind of love I have for your father. Do you understand?" Lara nodded. "Besides," she continued. "I would NEVER want to have to try to raise his children. Elias is a handful all by himself, of course YOU were no walk in the meadow either." Lara-Su glared.  
  
"And what is THAT supposed to mean? I was an angel when I was a baby."  
  
"ANGEL? YOU? HA! The only way you were ever like an angel was the way you zipped and flew around the house. It was a miracle you had your diaper on most of the time-"  
  
"MOM!" Lara-Su shrieked. Her normal dusky pink fur turning bright red. Julie-Su continued on as if she had not spoken.  
  
"-We still have the home movies around from when you DIDN'T have them on-"  
  
"MOTHER!!" Lara-Su's face was a deeper shade of red than ever her father's and showed no signs of returning to normal.  
  
"-I could just pop one of them in and invite your father and Elias to watch them with us. It'll be fun. We'll grab a bag of popcorn and watch you prance and fly around without any clothes on. You know, you had the cutest little tush you ever did see-"  
  
"MOTHER!!!!!!!!"   
  
Lara screamed so loud that people down the block stopped whatever it was they were doing and looked around for the source of the strange yell. Lara, meanwhile was seriously mortified! Her pink fur, from her head down to her feet had gone from a beet red to furiously dark crimson flush.  
  
Julie-Su for her part, acted as if Lara's outburst had never happened. She sipped her water for a minute, then placed it down on the table. She turned to her now completely humiliated daughter and grinned.  
  
"Relax, kid. I'm just kidding." She smiled as Lara sighed in relief. "I wouldn't actually SHOW those tapes to anyone-" Lara groaned and held her head in her hands. "Besides, we're expecting company." Julie-Su added. Lara moaned.  
  
"Who is it? Someone else you intend to embarrass me in front of?"  
  
"Not right now. At any rate, I don't want to have to dig through my drawers to find your potty training 'mishap' videos just now." Lara made a sound that a wounded animal would make. "But I do think you'll want to meet HIM." Putting a special emphasis on "him". Lara lifted her face from out of her hands.  
  
" 'HIM' who?" Lara asked slowly.  
  
"Oh that's right, you haven't met him yet." Julie-Su got up as the doorbell rang. "Ah, here they are now." When she opened the door, a beautiful yellow mongoose entered the house. Elias, who had finished his conversation with Knuckles, went over to greet her as Knuckles did the same with Julie-Su. Lara-Su sighed a bit at being left out in this little love fest. She started to turn back and go to her room, when suddenly she saw a figure in the corner of her eye.  
  
Lara's jaw dropped. Standing in the doorway was a handsome looking boy, about her own age. He was the very image of Elias at that age, which isn't surprising since he is his father's son. His figure, form, and face were virtually identical to Elias' save for the fact that his fur was more golden than brown, probably inherited that from his mother, and his hair had a streak of purple in it. Definitely from his mother. Julie-Su smiled at her daughter's expression.  
  
"Lara, this is Thomas; Elias' and Mina's son." Thomas walked over to Lara and shyly took her hand. They both blushed and turned their faces away. Lara then led Thomas away from their parents and out the door. Julie-Su smiled as she saw the look on her daughter's face. "Ah young love." She thought fondly. She smiled and winked at Elias, who had the same look on his face. And the cycle began anew.  
  
******  
  
THE END 


	13. Disclaimers and Last Minute Notes

***  
  
Last Minute Disclaimers and Notes from the Author:  
  
Hooray! My first completed fanfic! Woohoo! Anyway I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to read my story, and especially those that reviewed it. Thanks everyone. I also wanted to take this time to thank Dan Drazen, who got me interested in Sonic the Hedgehog in the first place. Love ya Dan!  
I also wanted to restate that none of these characters belong to me. They are the property of Archie Comics or Sega. Except for Kartaga, Zolraag, and Thomas.  
Kartaga and Zolraag are fictitious Dark Legionnaires, though I did borrow the names from other sources. Kartaga is a variation of the name of the insane Centauri Emperor, Cartagia from the hit science-fiction series, Babylon 5.  
Zolraag is a name directly taken from Harry Turtledove's Worldwar alternate-history series. The name is copyrighted to him, it isn't mine. Just wanted to give credit where credit was due.  
Thomas is a fictitious character I just made up. If you want to use him or anyone else I invented, please ask me first. Otherwise, be my guest. Thank you all. Good day!  
  
*** 


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